"He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will
I give to eat of the hidden manna, and
will give him a white stone, and in the
stone a new name written, which no
man knoweth saving he that receiveth
it" (Rev.
2:17).
The third and fourth letters in the
book of Revelation are addressed to
the churches in Pergamos and
Thyatira, representing respectively the
years of conquest in the history of the
Christian church, A.D. 313 to 538, and
the church's period of domination,
A.D. 538 to 1798.
The city of Pergamos (or Pergamum)
was situated some 60 kilometers (37
miles) northeast of Smyrna. Built on
the summit and slopes of a high hill,
the city seemed impregnable, which in
reality it was except when entered by
ruse. It was the seat of government for
the Roman province of Asia, however,
and its capital before losing that honor
to Ephesus. Pergamos was a city of
temples, the most celebrated being
the temple of Zeus, which has been
reconstructed in the Pergamon
Museum in East Berlin.
The origin of the name "Pergamos"
is uncertain. The meaning given it is
derived from the topography of the
city: citadel, acropolis, summit,
height. These words embody the
characteristics peculiar to the
Christian church of that era, years
when the priests of Rome were
exalting themselves and
strengthening their influence to the
point of supplanting the Roman
emperors and becoming the political
leaders of Western Europe.
In A.D. 538 the edict issued by
Justinian in 533 became effective,
legally conferring the political power
of the Western Empire on the bishop
of Rome. This date marks the
beginning of the 1260 years of papal
supremacy, represented by the
church of Thyatira.
Located some 40 kilometers (25
miles) southeast of Pergamos, the city
of Thyatira was well known for the
dyeing of wool and linen textiles with
the purple dyestuff that Thyatira dyers
had discovered. (See Acts 16:12-14.)
The city was also known for the great
temple built in honor of the sun god,
Apollo. These two features are
meaningful in describing the church
of that period. The Thyatira church
achieved ruling powers, symbolized
by the wearing of purple, and it was
she who decreed the day of the sun as
the day of rest.
Because of the importance of the
Reformation, one usually fixes the
dates for the Thyatira period from A.D.
538 to 1517. However, if one allows
that one period can parallel another,
and that the end of one does not
coincide precisely with the beginning
of the next, the Thyatira era could
extend beyond 1517, the year that the
Sardis period begins.
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
1.
Message to the Apostate Church
(Rev. 2:12)
2.
Worldly Influences Condemned
(Rev. 2:14, 15)
3.
Promises to the Overcomer
(Rev. 2:17)
4.
Message to the Church of
the Middle Ages
(Rev. 2:18)
5.
Jezebel, the Prophetess
(Rev. 2:20, 21)
6.
Promise of the Morning Star
(Rev. 2:26,
27)